Hancock County History
Hancock County, Indiana was created on
March 1, 1828 and named after the first signer of the Declatation
of Independance. On April 11, 1828, Greenfield was chosen as the
county seat. Around 1834-35, the National Road was opened in Hancock
County and it ushered in a period of rapid growth.
In 1853, the present boundaries of nine townships
were determined. The townships were named Blue River, Brandywine,
Brown, Buck Creek, Center, Jackson, Green, Sugar Creek, And Vernon.
In 1887, natural gas was discovered and Hancock County became
a "boom" area for the next 20 years. During that time,
manufacturing plants and other industries were established in
the community.
In 1839 the first great fire in Greenfield
occured on the north side of Main Street between Mount and State
Streets. It destroyed business blocks along with a large hotel
and stable that stood on the northwest corner of State and Main
Streets, of the current location of the Masonic Temple. In 1857
another fire occured in the same district and also destroyed several
buildings. Both fires contributed to the historic landscape.
Hancock County also had its share of important
people, such as James Whitcomb Riley, the Hoosier Poet; Wil Vawter
and Dick Black, both famous artists; Earl K. SMith, composer of
"Down by the Old Mill STream"' Reverend Charles O'Connell,
scholar, writer, and statesman who became president of Notre Dame;
Lee O. Harris, teacher; Barton Rees Pogue, poet; and William Toms,
journalist, just to name a few.
Source: "Images of Hancock County
Indiana" Joseph L. Skvarenina ©1998
For more information go to the Hancock
County History and Genealogy web site.
